Ministry Parties
by Skyflapple
Summary: After Harry breaks into Gringotts, Dolores decides not to drink at a Ministry Party.


This is my entry for Round 6 of the QLFC Season 4. I play Keeper for the Caerphilly Catapults. My prompt this round was to write about a dark character showing temperance or a light character committing the sin of gluttony.

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1st May 1998

It was late evening on the 1st May, 1998, and the Aatrium of the Ministry of Magic was a blur of colour. Witches and wWizards were twirling and swirling to the music that swelledswelling from the curious golden bubbles that hovered overabove a silver dance floor that had been set up earlier that day. Long banqueting tables lined either side of the long, dark-tiled Atrium; guests were gathered here and there, filling plates and goblets. The Mministry party that held by Pius Thicknesse had been planning as a kind of morale-booster was in full swing., and the long banqueting tables full of extravagant food were frequently visited by the guests.

Standing to the side of the hall, one woman was not eating or drinking anything. Dolores Umbridge, Head of the Muggleborn Registration Committee and Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, was watching the scene with an icy expression. standing and staring icily at everything.

"Dolores! May I ask why you aren't eating or drinking? It's not like you to ignore the food and drink at a party."

She gave a start, and spun around to come face to face with Pius Thicknesse, Minister for Magic, himself.

"Well, Minister," she snapped,. "I imagine you'vewould have hoped that you had heard that Undesirable No.1 broke into a high- security vault at Gringotts today and escaped. If you had as much experience with him as I have then you would prefer to be sober as well."

"Dolores, that is no reason not to enjoy the party! Come and eat something!" Pius chuckled.

Dolores sniffed, and surveyed her boss. He had already consumed quite a bit of alcohol, and the intoxicating scent of drink was radiating towards her in waves. She glanced at his robes, and noted that they were undone at the top, and that they were a solemn black. This was strange, she thought, as Thicknesse only usually wore black when he went on "important business trips". Dolores wasn't exactly sure what he did on these trips, as shehe was never given any prior warning about them; usually,, and he would just stand up at random and announce that he would be back soon.

Dolores was brought back from the realms of her mind when Pius waved a hand in front of her face and called faintly, "Earth to Dolores... Can you hear me?"

She sighed and said, as sweetly as possible, "I think that you have had quite enough to drinks, Minister. Might I suggest that you go to bed?"

At this, the Minister grew angry and snapped, "No! I shall stay for as long as I please. Perhaps youYou should be going., I think a good night's rest is in order. Good night Dolores!" He turned on his heel and strode off across the dance floor.

Dolores made a face. Although her loyalty would always be with the Ministry, she was not particularly fond of Thicknesse and she didn't think that he made for a good leader. He was simply too...enigmatic. She could never get a read on his way of thinking. shady.

She turned and looked out across the dance floor. Dawlish was dancing vigorously with Hopkirk, and he too looked rather intoxicated. Hopkirk's expression looked rather uneasy, and Dolores couldn't blame her.

Hestia Jones was standing, alert, on the opposite side of the room, looking around the room with a steady, attentive gazecalmly. A, and, at a loss for anything else to do, Dolores decided to go and talk to her. As she made her way around the edge of the room, she realised that, apart from Jones, the guards on duty, and a couple of others, she was the only person that was sober at the party. She glanced longingly at the banqueting tables, and very nearly stopped off to get a drink, but sharply reminded herself that a dangerous rogue wizard had performed an unexplainable feat of daring that day and that now was no time for indulgence.

As she reached Jones she said, quietly, "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Madam Jones."

The A auror turned to face her. silently, before responding in a bored manner, "Well, Madam Umbridge, the Minister for Magic has ordered me to keep watch for Harry Potter and his group of supporters tonight, and to 'make sure that they do not successfully infiltrate the Ministry at a time when it is the most vulnerable' or something along those lines." She spoke in a calming, reassuring voice, but her expression betrayed just a hint of boredom.

Anger flared up inside Dolores when she heard Undesirable No.1's name being spoken in that offhand way, and even more so when Jones dared to speak about the Minister without complete interest in the conversation!

She couldn't contain herself, and snapped, "How dare you speak the true name of Undesirable No.1 like that?! And next time, think before you casually talk about our leader!" SHaving made her point, she flounced away, leaving Shackleboltthe witch alone again.

Deciding that the party was all getting too much for her, Dolores decided to get a breath of "fresh air." which meant that she went out of the room She left the noisy Atrium by way of the nearest corridor, where she sat downand sat quietly on a benchin the nearest corridor. After ten minutes or so, a clock nearby struck midnight, and noises of a disturbance began to reach her from the Aatrium. Dolores leapt to her feet, and ran into the room.

She was greeted by a sight ofif complete chaos as witches and wizards disappeared with scattered popping and cracking noises that echoed throughout the Atrium . great, whirling columns of black matter. She arrived just in time to see Thicknesse disappear in one such pillar, flanked on either side by Yaxley and Travers. , clutching his arm as if he was in pain.

There was yelling, confusion, people running and stumbling about as they looked for friends and coworkers. Suddenly, many other employees began to disappear with similar columns of matter, but this time they were an angelic white-gold.

Bewildered, Dolores Shocked, she approached the nearest person to her, Mafalda Hopkirk, seized her by the shoulders, and demanded, "What is going on here?"

MafaldaThe poor woman gulped, and stuttered, "T-there is some d-d-disturbance at H-Hhogwarts, and they are all going to a-assist!" Dolores released the witch, and stumbled awayon, light-headed with surprise.

She had only managed a couple of metres, however, before she was forced to sink to the ground, and rest. She could go and help later, Dolores thought, after all, it couldn't be too serious, could it?


End file.
